It is so odd not having any of our four dogs around. We kenneled them so we could leave on our trip to the shore the following morning. I fell asleep and none of them were at the foot of the bed. No barking. No locking the front door so Tilla does not let himself out by “popping” the screen door latch. No Tilla under our computer desk. Pax is not under his blanket facing the big fan. No Sweetie or Coco. No barking. No anything. I miss them already and we have not left on our trip.

Such diversity in our world. An example is the black-eyed Susan. They come up every year–in different spots in our yard. They seed themselves. They are fighting for space with other weeds. If you look at one bed, the flowers are at different heights and even at different angles. I love looking at them. The flowers last a long time–weeks in fact. They come up a little later in the season. Every year I await them and they never fail to please me.

I tracked down a praying mantis I saw earlier hours later in a bed of brown-eyed Susan. It had not moved too much. I looked really carefully. It had in its jaws a grasshopper. That is the first time this year I saw a praying mantis in our yard. I was just wondering the other day whether I would see any this year in our garden.

For the second time I saw the tiny toad at the entrance of the garage. And today I saw a larger one disappear into the garage. That is three different sized toads I saw living in our garage. I guess there are enough bugs caught in spider webs for them in our garage.

I like wearing out my clothing. I have a favorite tee shirt that has holes in it. I want to wear it until I can’t any longer. I remember my friend giving me a hard time for my tee shirt had some holes in it. I really don’t care but he did. I had to remember he worked his whole life for one company as an engineer. He simply threw out clothing that had holes in it. He never lacked for money. I am torn between being concerned about what other people will think and simply being comfortable.

A tiny toad hopped right in front of me. I was at the front of my garage. I approached it and it disappeared in a crack I did not know existed on the right side of the garage door. A little later I saw it near the front, again, and this time it disappeared into the garage. It was one and an half inches long at the most. This is the second toad I have spotted in my garage. The other one was a big fat grey toad. There must be insects for them to eat in the garage. Let us see how much time goes by before I spot the next one.

There were small discoveries today. My cherry tree in the driveway is growing almost horizontally. It has something to do with the way my wife kept trimming it. I noticed three small branches growing straight up seeking the light only inches apart. I, also, found it interesting that the three phlox bushes were all different shades of pink and white. I noted that the one basket of petunia plants perked up. I was not sure that it would come back. But it did. A little water did the trick. Only three short observations outside but it gave me pleasure. And I am sure I will make more discoveries as I spend more time outside today. I like watching my plants cultivated and wild.

It was a reprieve for Pax. Last week one day he just lay there almost motionless. My dog would not eat or drink anything. He just lay there. I thought it was the beginning of the end. He is a big dog, thirteen years old. Really big dogs don’t live as long as smaller dogs. I thought his time was up. His malaise lasted only one day. All of a sudden he perked up, drank water and ate again. It was not his time. I will try to not take his life for granted any longer. I don’t know how much time he has but I will make an effort to treasure his remaining days.

You are your strongest Advocate. If the person who is treating you, does not take proper care of yourself; you have to speak up and demand you are being taken care of properly. If this person is a doctor or another provider, and ignores your condition or worst yet does not care, you have to take positive action.

If this person is a doctor that means he/she addresses your biggest concerns. Sometimes that means being properly referred to the appropriate party. Sometimes that means the appropriate blood work or tests is being ordered.

You know your body and mind. You know when something is wrong or a condition is developing that needs addressing. If your provider consistently lets things go, then you have to consider changing providers.

You are always in the driver’s seat. Sometimes that means being prepared when you spend time with your provider. That means you make a list of the issues you want covered. That person’s time (as well as yours) is valuable. You want to make the best use of your time with your caretaker.

Again, you are your strongest advocate. Never forget that. The provider can not read your mind. You have to let the person know what is going on. You are your strongest advocate.

My wife cares about every living thing even the lowly earthworm. She gave me a hard time about buying worms to use for fishing. I did buy a dozen. Then she insisted I let loose the worms that were left after my fishing trip. That is one thing I love about her: her concern for every living thing.

“Noah’s Ark” was gone. It was a big boat, over forty feet long — really a small yacht — that sat, raised up high on a platform, in a meadow at the crest of a hill. We passed it every time we drove home from town. I started calling the boat “Noah’s Ark”. It was a landmark. I have lived in this town ten years and my wife even longer, and she always remembered that boat sitting there. It stood, surrounded by high weeds, for years–maybe several decades. She told me that the owner and his family had at one time lived in it, down in Florida. He died recently. Now The Ark was gone. I wonder what will happen to it.